


on the shores of a world unheard of

by Ahria



Series: Spanning The Distance [2]
Category: Galileo (TV Japan)
Genre: Community: pyoid, F/M, Introspection, LiveJournal, Loneliness, long distance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-05-06
Updated: 2013-05-06
Packaged: 2017-12-10 14:50:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/787269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ahria/pseuds/Ahria
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Homesickness is rough and Kaoru has a realization.</p>
            </blockquote>





	on the shores of a world unheard of

**Author's Note:**

> Part two of my series, "Spanning The Distance"- alternate canon of Utsumi's time in America.

Kaoru has always considered cheerful optimism as one of her best traits.  It’s true that she didn’t want to go to America but as she boarded the plane, she was determined to embrace this experience and make the best of it   

A month later, that determination is wavering.  The training classes are going well and she’s even made a couple of friends, which should be enough.  She keeps telling herself it’ll just take a little more time, things will get better.  She keeps a smile on her face all day long because she knows the only way to fool the people around you is to fool yourself first.

Nights are more difficult.  When Kaoru’s alone in her room, she can admit that she’s never wanted anything as badly as she wants to go home. 

Oklahoma is hot, the food is weird and every conversation is a struggle.  She’s always thought her English skills to be passable but translating written passages from books or practicing conversation with the teacher is completely different than talking with Americans.  She doesn’t understand the slang or cultural references and her electronic dictionary seems to be permanently attached to her hand.

Worst of all, she misses her family, her friends and her weirdo professor.  Every message from the former reminds her of her unhappiness in this place while every day of silence from Yukawa reminds her of their precarious relationship status.  Even “relationship” seems like too strong a word.

Although the thought of his mouth pressed to hers still raises her pulse rate, she’s not naïve enough to think that one kiss will solve all their differences.  They have six years of miscommunications and misunderstandings between them.  Being _together_ will require a certain amount of give from both of them and on her more pessimistic days, she’s not sure if either of them is capable of it.

She groans aloud, annoyed at her train of thought.  Sliding the lump of metal from its place on her bedside table, she runs her fingers over the surface, exploring the texture as she has almost every night since arriving in Oklahoma.

Kaoru refuses to spend anymore of tonight in self pity, so she lets her mind drift for a while, until it settles on a memory.  It’s something she hasn’t thought of in years. 

She remembers bubbles hovering over dry ice, the sense of wonder that they didn’t pop or drift away.  Even now, the play of colors on the bubbles’ surface makes her grin.

She rolls her eyes at herself, mock exasperation that such a childish thing can still bring her pleasure, but it’s not something she actually minds.

As she passes the germanium from hand to hand, she idly thinks _I wonder why Professor Yukawa was doing such a simple experiment, anyway._

Her heart stutters in her chest a moment later when she realizes, _It was for me._

It’s the only thing that makes sense.  There was no one else in the lab but the two of them.

This realization changes _everything_ and nothing at all, simultaneously warming her heart and making her lonelier than ever.

Impulsiveness hasn’t let her down yet so she sets the germanium back on the nightstand and crosses the room to her desk, gathers stationery and a pen. She writes him a short note, something casual, and doesn’t mention her revelation.

She shoves it in her bag along with a souvenir and photograph from her weekend outing and promises herself she’ll go to the post office tomorrow during her lunch break. 

As she crawls into bed and shuts off the light, Kaoru realizes that she’s happier than she has been in weeks.

**Author's Note:**

> The prompt for this was "like the desolation of some alien sea breaking on the shores of a world unheard of" from The Road by Cormac McCarthy prompt list over at pyoid on LJ. I think it kind of got away from me though.
> 
> Anyway, more to come!


End file.
